Sunday, February 12, 2012

Over the last six months, I've continued to experiment with my diet. My sensitivities seem to have calmed down a bit. Always interesting, because I always take it too far. I go to a few social events in a row, a brownie can't hurt here, a few bites of a sandwich or some pasta there, a cream based soup I just can't resist, a little cheese on a salad... Mardi Gras is going to kill me with all this king cake!

Dairy still makes my ears and all the tubes surrounding them fill up with who knows what. Gluten still has its own delightful effects that I needn't go into here. Let's just say they are most noticeable in the bathroom. I don't even experiment with soy really, because I don't miss it too much, but after a meal at a Chinese restaurant, a little soy is inevitable.

And that's okay! Luckily, none of this food is going to kill me, as long as I watch it. I try to eat as healthily as possible, but I can't spend much time worrying about it and avoiding every social situation. A year ago, the stress of trying to eat on a rotation diet threatened my health more than any of the food issues. I did need a detox period, and it had to be done, but it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, and I'm not doing it again.

There's a middle ground here, and it involves finding goodness in what's available to you. I'm not going to cook with dairy, gluten, or soy. However, coconut milk and almond milk are available. I'm not going to have a cup of coffee every day, but decaf here and there will work. I can't have wheat, but rice, corn, and potatoes (not to mention the plethora of gluten-free flours) are plentiful and wonderful. Yesterday, I made a spoonbread souffle that called for egg whites (didn't turn out well so I won't bore you with the details), and I ended up with 4 egg yolks leftover. What to do...? Ice cream!

So here is a little treat I have adapted from simply recipes' coffee ice cream. Take a look at this recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/coffee_ice_cream/. In this dairy free version, I do everything the same, but use coconut milk (canned or boxed, I used a combo of both) instead of milk and cream. I found it too sweet as written (maybe it was the coconut milk), so before I put it in the ice cream maker, I blended in another cup of coconut milk and an avocado! It's still really sweet, but such great consistency. YUMMY!

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Welcome to the Wheel!

I'm Catherine, a forty-something grateful mom, hopeful writer, spiritual seeker, and healthy eater in New Orleans, Louisiana. If you've ever been here, you know that last part is not easy. I avoid gluten, dairy, and soy...and stress whenever possible. This blog started with my adventures with food, but it evolved into musings on the rotation of life: keeping balance and trying to be the person I was created to be. I live with my wonderful husband, son and daughter, and have three great stepkids too. Balancing home, family, and creativity is the chief challenge of my life. Luckily, it's all good. Except the housework. But I digress...